Over the years, major hurricanes have taken a severe toll on South Carolina, and some of them have been used as teaching moments to improve emergency preparedness.

Hurricane Hugo made landfall in Charleston on Sept. 22, 1989. The Category 4 storm with estimated winds of 135 to 140 mph brought $7 billion in damages and was responsible for 49 fatalities directly related to the storm, including 26 people killed in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Since Hugo, the largest amount of South Carolina residents seeking shelter in a hurricane has been about 8,000.

Stenson said collaborations between local and state agencies have improved and the means in which officials track evacuations, damages and outages has improved. Authorities have also increased messaging for emergency preparedness in recent years, urging residents to make a plan early on and know where to go if needed.

A new mobile app was developed by the state's Emergency Management Division that includes checklists, useful tips, emergency phone numbers and other resources. The app is available for download through the division's website at scemd.org.

Hurricane Hugo, 1989

A ferry plies the Intracoastal Waterway by the Ben Sawyer Bridge at Sullivan’s Island on Sept. 28, 1989, after the bridge was damaged by Hurricane Hugo.(Photo: Wade Spees, AP-Post and Courier)

Deemed one of the strongest hurricanes in all of South Carolina's history, Hugo began as a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic and was a Category 4 storm by the time it hit landfall on Sept. 22, 1989

Hugo produced the highest storm tide heights ever recorded along the U.S. East Coast, around 20 feet near Charleston, according to NOAA.

The state's emergency management division estimates that based on development and growth, had Hugo hit in 2009 there would be $8 billion in damages with more than 21,000 homes destroyed.

Hurricane Floyd, 1999

Thousands of residents forced out by a mandatory evacuation order sit on Interstate 26 near Charleston, S.C. Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 14, 1999 as they try to move west away from the path of approaching Hurricane Floyd. (AP Photo/Charlotte Observer, Patrick Schneider)(Photo: File / Patrick Schneider, The AP)

Hurricane Floyd made landfall on Cape Fear, North Carolina, on Sept. 16, 1999, as a Category 2 hurricane.

Excessive rainfall was widespread and caused severe flooding in several nearby states including South Carolina. In all, the storm claimed 56 deaths in the U.S. and caused up to $6 billion in estimated damages.

More than 2 million people were evacuated in the U.S., according to NOAA.

"Getting out of Charleston was a problem," said Stenson. "With Floyd, we had issues with evacuations and we've completely revamped how we do evacuations in terms of reversing the interstates."

The cause of a fire that broke out Saturday evening in the Cherry Grove community of North Myrtle Beach, destroying two condominiums and three single-family homes, is under investigation. Officials started the blaze started west of North Ocean Boulevard and jumped to buildings across the street. Tonya Maxwell

North Myrtle Beach firefighters on Sunday continued to douse hotspots at a beachside condominium in the Cherry Grove community of North Myrtle Beach. One family who remained in the building was safely evacuated. Tonya Maxwell

Though Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane by the time it hit South Carolina's coast, making its fourth landfall, heavy rainfall and flooding brought crippling damages to the state.

Matthew was responsible for 25 in North Carolina and four in South Carolina primarily due to flooding. Damages were estimated to be about $10.3 billion across the U.S., according to NOAA. Primarily due to flooding, private insurance claims totaled $550 million including $52 million in crop damage.

Hitting McClellanville on Oct. 8, 2016, Matthew became to the first October hurricane to make landfall north of Florida since Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Wind gusts were recorded at 87 mph in Hilton Head.

During Matthew 12 to 18 inches of rain fell over parts of the Carolinas, coming on the heels of an additional 6 to 10 inches of rain from a prior tropical storm.

At least 800,000 homes and businesses throughout the Carolinas were without power.

John Saffold reinforces a piece of plywood attached to a window of his commercial complex building as Tropical Storm Irma brings heavy rain and wind to downtown Savannah on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. JOSH MORGAN/Staff

Neal Schroeder looks out at the Savannah River as it continues to flow into River Street in downtown Savannah due to high tide on Tropical Storm Irma activity on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. JOSH MORGAN/Staff

James Rmih reacts after water splashes on his back as water from the Savannah River begins to flow towards River Street due to high tide and Tropical Storm Irma rains on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. JOSH MORGAN/Staff

Irma formed as a Category 5 hurricane while going through the Caribbean on Sept. 6, 2017 but weakened to a Category 1 hurricane when passing between Orlando, Florida, and Tampa, Florida, on Sept. 11, 2017. The same day, South Carolina and Georgia reported tropical storm conditions from Irma.

Tide levels at South Carolina's coast were three to five feet above ground level. Beaufort recorded 9 inches of rainfall throughout the storm, producing flash flooding and moderate river flooding.

An EF-1 tornado was also recorded in John’s Island, causing a half-mile path of house and tree damage.

Irma was linked to 47 direct deaths for strong winds, heavy rain and high tide across the Caribbean and southeastern U.S., according to NOAA.